Fruit juice extractor



June E8, i940.

FRUIT JUICE EXTRACTOR Filed July ll, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 P. F. KocH 2,204,964-

June 18, 1940.

P. F. KocH l2,204,964

FRUITJUICE Ex'rnACToR Filed July 11, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 mm" mail Patented June 18, 1940 UNITED STATES FRUIT JUICE EXTRACTOR Paul F. Koch, Oak Park, Ill., assigner to Chicago Die Casting Manufacturing Company, a corporation of Illinois Application July l1, 1938, Serial No. 218,586

3 Claims.

There are many dilerent kinds of small portable machines, intended for household use in squeezing oranges, lemons and other fruits to extract the juices therefrom. In none of the prior devices, so far as I am aware, is the construction such that the pressure on the handle or lever is at all times applied most effectively and without danger of causing the machine or press to tip over. The object of the present invention is to produce a hand operated machine or press for extracting fruit juices, which shall not only be small, compact and low in manufacturing cost, but which shall be extremely powerful in that the applied force is greatly multiplied, and in which the pressure is transmitted from the operators hands to the actual presser member in such a manner that the machine or press is very stable and the movements that the users hands must make in operating the machine are simple, natural and unconstrained.

In the usual machine of the general type under consideration, the pressure is applied to the fruit through a rack bar engaged by a pinion which is moved angularly through distances ranging from a fraction of a turn to a plurality of turns. Where the whole working stroke corresponds to a fraction of a turn of a pinion or segmental gear, it is obvious that with a handle of reasonable length, there can be no great multiplication of power; whereas, at the time the fruit is first placed under pressure, the handle or lever may be in such a position as to make it awkward for the user to operate it. Regardless of the angular distance through which a pinion may be turned, it is evident that it is almost inevitable that a component of force will be developed that tends to cause the machine as a whole to tip over and will therefore cause it to do so unless the supporting base be made larger than is practicable. In carrying out my invention, I make use of a pawl and ratchet actuating means that permits a small portion of the movement of the movable presser member toward the stationary support for the fruit to be brought about v by a full stroke of an operating lever or handle. When the actual distance that the movable presser member must travel to complete a squeezing operation is greater than vthe distance through which it may be driven in a single down- 502 ward stroke of the operating handle or lever, the

`G0.,4 erted throughout the entire movement of the (Cl. 1D0- 43) movable presser member when the angle through which the operating handle or lever is swung is not too great. When the user places one hand upon the movable presser member while the other operates the lever or handle in the manner i of a pump handle, while squeezing the juice out of fruit, there is a balancing of forces upon the machine as a whole, and no tendency in the machine to tip over.

So far as I know, I am the rst to have produced a machine of this general type in which a presser member may be forced down upon the fruit by operating a handle in the manner of oscillating pump handle; and, therefore, the present invention may be regarded as having for one of its objects the creation of a simple and novel fruit-squeezing press in which the working pressure is produced during the downward stroke of a vertically swinging member of the pump handle type, the number of cycles made by the operating handle depending upon the size and character of the fruit.

The various features of novelty whereby my invention is characterized will hereinafter be pointed out with particularity in the claims; but, for a full understanding of my invention and of its objects and advantages, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure l is a central vertical section through a machine embodying the present invention, the machine being shown open and ready to receive an orange or other fruit; Fig. 2 is a section on line 2-2 of' Fig. l; Fig. 3 is a front view of the machine as it appears in Fig. l; Fig. l is a view similar to Fig. l, only a fragment of the machine lbeing shown and illustrating the machine in the act of squeezing an orange; Fig. 5 is a View similar to Fig. 4, showing a still smaller fragment, and the supporting bar for the movable presser member being shown in the position indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 4, while the operating handle has been returned to its upper position to engage another tooth on the supporting bar; Fig. 6 is a section on line t--f of Fig. 5, on a larger scale; Fig. is a view similar to Fig. 6, showing only the handle or lever; Fig. 8 is a section on line --il of Fig. 5, the scale being the same as that the part 4 is a cup-supporting member that is conveniently in the form of a half ring 5 having a radially projecting part G midway between its ends and resting upon the shelf or ledge 4. The member 5 is xed to the shelf by any suitable means comprising or including a screw l. The forwardly projecting arms of the member 5 are connected together near their free ends by a cross bar 8 having at the middle a section 9 in the form of a ring. As best seen in Fig. 3, the major portion of the cross bar 9 is depressed below the plane of the half ring 5. The tips of the two arms constituting the half ring 5 are thickened, as indicated at I D. Between each of the parts I Il of the member 5 and the base of the machine is a sturdy rod Il which is preferably inclined toward the rear, so that the lower end is about even with the front of the pedestal 3. Resting on the support 5 is a cup I 2 having a frusto-conical bottom I3 terminating in a central cylindrical spout Ill. The diameter of the spout M is such that the spout iits into the ring 9 and serves to center the cup. The upper face I5 of the member 5, including the thickened end portions I9, is preferably in the form of a frustum ef a cone so as to provide a seat against which the frustoconical bottom of the cup ts.

Loosely set into the cup is a suitable perforated strainer I6 which may be a dome-like half shell. vertically slidable in the pedestal 3 is a bar i8 which .is preferably rectangular in cross section. Cast or otherwise fixed upon the upper end of the bar I8 is a forwardly projecting arm I9 having at its forward end a presser member .20 which conveniently takes the ferm ofv a hemispherical half shell. The parts are so proportioned that the vertical axis of the member 2li registers with the corresponding aXis of the cup i2; so that, when the presser member 20 is lowered, any object resting on the strainer l5 will be compressed between the latter and the member 20.

The bar I8 has along the rear edge a series of ratchet teeth 2l which incline downwardly from their free rear ends to their bases where they are joined to the bar. Cooperating with the bar is an operating handle or lever 22, one end of which extends into the pedestal through an opening 23 that is quite long in the vertical direction. The front end of the handle or lever is widened, as indicated at 24 and has an opening 25, ofy the same width as the thickness of the bar i8, but somewhat longer than the width of the bar, extending through the same. In assembling the parts of the machine, the bar extends through the opening in the operating handle or lever. Toward the rear end of the opening 25 is a pin 26 extending across the opening transversely of the handle or lever. The distance between the pin and the front end of the opening 25 is such that when the bar is as far forward in this opening as it can go, the pin is clear of or lies behind the ratchet teeth on the bar; so that, at this time, the bar may be moved up and down freely and independently of the operating handle. On the other hand, when the operating handle is pushed forward, the pin 2S will engage with one of the ratchet teeth if the relative vertical positions of that ratchet tooth and the pin be such as to permit this to be done. Means are provided to yieldingly hold the operating handle in its forward position; this means conveniently taking the form of a small tension spring 21 secured at one end to the operating handle and at its other end to an eye 28 on the under side of the shelf or ledge 4. As perhaps best shown in Fig. 9, the

distance between the front edge of the bar IB and the wall 29 bounding the opening 25 at the front is sufficient to permit the pin 2B to be drawn clear of the tooth with which it is shown as being engaged in Fig. 9, and entirely beyond the rear edge of the bar. Also, it will be seen that the spring exerts a constant pull so as to hold the pin 26, or pawl, against the rear edge of the bar or in the valley between adjacent teeth, depending upon the vertical position of the bar.

The front end of the handle or lever 22, on opposite sides of the opening 25, is rounded so as to provide it with semi-cylindrical surfaces extending from the upper side ofv the handle around the front end and to the under side; as indicated at 3U; the axis of the cylinder being transverse and parallel to the pin 26. These rounded end portions of the handle rest upon lugs 3| within and on opposite sides of the pedestal and underlie and are in engagement with shoulders 32 arranged in the interior of the pedestal above the lugs 3 I. Thus, the lever may be rocked about a transverse axis parallel with the pin 26, but which moves with the operating handle as the latter is shifted lengthwise.

It should also be noted that the bar I8 has in the rear edge, near the lower end, a notch 33 the lower side of which is inclined upwardly from the rear edge of the bar while its upper edge is approximately at right angles to the rear edge of the bar. When the bar is lifted to its upper limit, this notch registers with the pin or pawl 26, so that the latter is drawn into the same by the spring 2l and serves to hold the bar and the presser member 26 in their raised positions, as shown in Figs. l and 3.

Normally, when the member 20 and its supporting bar I8 are in their lowermost positions, the pin 2S or pawl is engaged with one of the ratchet teeth, causing the bar I8 to be locked down. In order to raise the bar, the operating handle must be pulled lengthwise in the rearward direction, to carry the pin or pawl clear of the bar. In order to prevent the pin or pawl from slipping off the ratchet teeth when a downward pressure is applied, I prefer to shape the upper faces of these ratchet' teeth so that when the pawl is in working engagement with a tooth, it rests in a substantially semi-cylindrical valley from which it cannot escape until the handle is swung up. Therefore, in opening the machine to receive an orange or the like, the handle should rst be swung up and then drawn back, thus first bringing the pin or pawl into a position that permits it to be drawn rearwardly and then drawing it rearwardly out of the valley between two ratchet teeth. The arm 20 at the upper end of the bar I8 may then be grasped and the entire movable presser unit be raised until the notch 33 comes opposite the pin or pawl 26. Then, upon releasing the handle. the pawl drops into the notch 33 and holds the presser unit up While the orange or other piece of fruit is inserted. After the fruit is in place, the handle is pulled backward, freeing the pawl from the notch 33 and allowing the presser unit to drop down until the cup-shaped presser member 20 rests upon the piece of fruit A, as indicated in Fig. 4. The handle is then raised, being held lightly until the pawl drops into engagement with one of the ratchet teeth. This is the condition illustrated in full lines in Fig. 4. The handle is then pressed down, rocking on its rounded front end sections 3l), and forcing the movable presser unit down with it. 'Ihe distance through which the 75 presser unit may be forced down through a single stroke of the handle is the distance between consecutive teeth on the ratchet bar. lThe dotted line positions of the handle, the presser foot and the orange, in Fig. 4, indicate the condition at the end of the first downward stroke. In the case of a small orange or lemon, a single stroke may be all that is needed. However, with large oranges, it may be necessary to force the movable presser unit down through a distance corresponding to several strokes of the operating handle. In such a case, which is the one illustrated in Fig. 4, the handle is simply swung up (the lever with its pin acting simply as a spring-pressed pawl device which slides freely in the upwardly direction past a tooth,) after having completed its first downward stroke so that the pawl eventually engages with the next higher ratchet' tooth. Thereupon, a second downward movement of the handle forces the movable presser unit down through another step and further squeezes the orange. This process is repeated until, when the lever is raised, the pawl will not engage with a new tooth, and the bar must thereupon be released from the pawl, so that the movable presser unit may be raised to permit the removal of the orange, exhausted of its juice. In the case of an orange, when the removable presser unit is raised, the orange skin adheres so firmly to the member Ztl and also tothe strainer I6, that both are lifted out of the cup; and, while the strainer and the orange skin may easily be detached from the member 20, considerable force is required to pry the skin from the strainer.

It will be seen that the natural thing for the user to do is to place one hand on top of the member 2t after the same has been lowered upon an vorange or the like, and keep it there while operating the handle with the other hand. Used in this way, the pressure of one hand upon the machines balances that of the other and there is never any tendency to tip over, even though it have a comparatively small base, as shown.

In order that the valleys between the ratchet teeth and the notch 33 may be punched out of the metal of the bar, I prefer to form the bar from two strips of metal that can readily be punched; the two strips being afterwards welded together.

In order that the bar I8 will not drop out of the pedestal when the machine is turned upside down, and to arrest the upward movement' of the bar when the notch 33 is opposite the pawl in the operating handle, I insert a cotter pin 34 in the lower end of the bar after it has been assembled in the pedestal; this Cotter pin engaging with the lower edge of a strap-like guide 35 arranged within the pedestal below the lugs Si and embracing the bar.

In order to enable the user to obtain a good grip for the purpose of raising the movable presser unit, I provide the arm it at the upper end of the bar I8 with dish-shaped depressions 36 arranged on opposite sides of the arm in registration with each other. These depressions are large enough to permit the ball of a thumb and the corresponding part of the iorenger of the users hand to seat themselves in the depressions and thus prevent the arm from slipping out of the users grasp while being raised.

While I have illustrated and described with particularity only a single preferred form of my invention, I do not desire to be limited to the exact structural details thus illustrated and described; but intend to cover all forms and arrangements which come within the denitions of my invention constituting the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A press comprising a base, a support on said base for receiving an object to be pressed, a presser foot adapted to overlie an object engaging said support, a bar on one end of which said presser foot' is iiXed, said bar being slidably mounted in said base to permit said presser foot move from and toward said support, said bar having a row of ratchet teeth distributed lengthwise of the same, a handle having a fixed pawl element' adapted to cooperate with the ratchet teeth to move said presser foot downward step by step toward the support, said handle being mounted in the base for swinging movements and also for a lengthwise movement to permit the pawl element to be moved laterally into and out of engagement with the teeth, and a shoulder on said bar in position to engage with said pawl and hold the bar against downward movement when it is brought into its raised position.

2. A fruit pressing machine comprising a basehaving a support i'or fruit to be pressed, a bar mounted in said base for vertical sliding movements, a presser member Xed to the upper end of said bar and overlying said support, a row of ratchet teeth distributed lengthwise of said bar, the upper faces of the ratchet teeth being inclined upwardly toward their free ends, said bar having a downwardly-facing shoulder below the row of ratchet teeth, a lever mounted in the base beside said bar for vertical swinging movements and for a limited bodily lengthwise movement, an element on said lever in position to engage with the ratchet teeth when the lever is at one limit of its lengthwise movement and to stand clear of said teeth when the lever is at the other limit of its endwise movement, a stop on said base below the lever to cause the lever to serve as a support for said bar when the lever is swung down against the stop and the aforesaid element is engaged under said shoulder on the bar, and a spring tending constantly to hold said lever in a position in which said element engages the ratchet teeth.

3. A fruit pressing machine comprising a pedestal having a support for fruit to be pressed, a bar mounted in said base for vertical sliding movements, a presser member fixed to the upper end of said bar and overlying said support, a row of ratchet teeth distributed lengthwise of said bar, the under faces of the ratchet teeth being inclined upwardly from their faces to their free ends, a lever having a pawl element xed thereto, said lever having a trunnion at one end, guides on the pedestal transverse to the bar, the trunnion being mounted between said guides for movements along the latter and for turning movements, whereby the lever may have vertical swinging movements and a limited bodily lengthn wise movement suiilcient to permit the pawl ele ment to be engaged with the ratchet teeth or stand clear of said teeth, a stop to limit the downward swinging movement of said lever, a shoulder on said bar adapted to rest on said pawl element when the lever is down and the bar is up to hold the bar in its raised position and a spring acting on the lever and tending constantly to hold the pawl element engaged with said teeth.

PAUL F. KOCH. 

